Dec
20
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Filed under Biblical Womanhood | 52homeYou just never know what you’re gonna find…
While you bake cookies or wrap presents with the kiddos this weekend, here are four-fun filled episodes of a kid talk Christmas with Mr. B, Mrs. B, and Caly. Listen and rejoice!
Grab your Christmas snacks and gather ‘round to enjoy a one-of-a kind telling of the Christmas story with Mr. and Mrs. B. Merry Christmas boys and girls!
We are very mindful that there are many people who experience grief and sadness during the Christmas season. My sister-in-law Sharon is one of them.
On July 8, 2003 Sharon lost Dave, her husband of 32 years, to a brain tumor. We all desperately miss Dave’s joy, his impeccable sense of humor, his servant’s heart, and his delicious cooking. However, the intense grief that Sharon and her five children have experienced these past two and a half years is a testimony to the love they had for Dave, and his love for them.
And yet, through this unimaginable hardship, Sharon’s faith in God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness has remained strong. She has truly grieved with hope. While not a day goes by that she does not desperately miss “Her Bud” (as she and Dave would call each other) she displays a selfless strength in serving others that only comes from knowing Jesus Christ.
For this reason, we asked Sharon to share about both the pain, but more importantly the comfort she experiences at Christmastime. We pray her thoughts will provide hope to those of you who have lost a loved one. And for the rest of us, may we extend discerning care to those we know who are grieving this Christmas.
I believe there is only one answer to the question of how I experience God’s comfort at Christmastime, and that is for me to be on my knees basking in and staying grounded in the Word of God. His words touch my heart and soul, as he is the ultimate comforter. And from him come all other forms of comfort, as well.
Of course, snags are everywhere this time of year. If you’ve ever driven through the mountains, you’ve probably seen signs that read, “Beware of falling rocks.” For me as a widow, the holidays can be full of “falling rocks” in the form of that invitation or Christmas card addressed to only one name, traditions that are no longer an option, having to pass by the men’s department no longer looking for that annual sweater or tie, or even getting a whiff of my husband’s favorite cologne in the crowds of shoppers. Like a thorn on a rose pricks the finger, these reminders of a love lost prick my fragile, already bleeding heart. The challenge becomes surfacing from the pain of the past and wanting to live joyfully in the present with a hope for the future.
Although I have yet to get through the season without heartache and tears, and this will be my third Christmas without my husband, my Lord is faithful to supply the needed comfort. I should add here that I must choose to be comforted, as the temptation can be to fall into the sin of self-pity. If you are a widow, you know you can feel the pain of loneliness even when you’re in a group—even a group of family and friends. Those who help me to surface from the pain are not afraid of my sudden tears that may spill over in an instant unexpectedly, as they realize that may be the only language I can speak at the moment. They respect my need to talk at length about my current grief, or my desire not to talk at all. They give me much-appreciated hugs and tell me they care. They sometimes share remembrances of my husband that make me smile through the tears, knowing the memories may cause pain but are certainly treasured. Comfort has also come in the form of e-mails and phone calls and cards, all with words of love and encouragement. This past Sunday, I was comforted by a word shared during worship from one of the pastors with an encouragement for widows and single parents.
I think it is important to note here that we should not assume someone is no longer grieving, or not grieving as much, because a number of years have passed. I am among those who, before I became a widow, mistakenly thought that the one-year anniversary marked the end of the grieving process, that somehow things became easier and got back to “normal.” Where did that idea come from? That’s not accurate. I believe grieving is actually a gift, a good and necessary gift, a process, and a journey that, because of the depth of our love, may last until I see my Bud again. And, yes, the severity of my grieving is increased during the holidays. But as I respond to the pain and embrace with gratefulness the comforts he sends, I learn endurance and perseverance; and I realize that everything is part of the process of sanctification. And I am overwhelmed—not by my grief—but by his love for me.
-from the archives
Our Aunt Betsy (Ricucci) is our dad’s sister and one of the most encouraging people you will ever meet. On Sunday at church she passed on some very encouraging motherhood advice to me, and then followed up with an email yesterday. It was too good not to post. While I wish all of you could be in the same church with Aunt Betsy to receive her specific and godly encouragement each week, I hope every mother who is seeking to diligently teach her children to obey will receive these encouraging words as “just for you.”
Hi Nicole!
I just wanted to clarify my quick encouragement to you yesterday. I had seen Janelle earlier and encouraged her as a mom and she said I should tell you too, so I tried!
As your mom said to me multiple times when I was a young mom: Don’t grow weary of the well doing on behalf of your wee ones! Every time you deny or disappoint their selfishness, no matter their response, is a win for you and ultimately a win for them! Don’t evaluate your mothering success by their response to your training initially, but by the fact that true biblical love looks out for their ultimate best interest. And their best interest is not to have selfishness rewarded but denied and overcome. (And isn’t that true of us too?!) So just know, when you must say “no” for the kiddos best good and their response may be wailing, you can have a biblical perspective that some sin has been wounded but their souls ultimately helped! This is true, biblical, sacrificial love that truly considers the greatest good of others. And those others are the precious lives of your children!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal.6:9 This verse has always encouraged me so much! The promise of reaping a good harvest is not dependent upon the perfections of the good we do (we fail so often don’t we?!) but simply in not giving up. And I must depend upon His faithfulness to not give up. But, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” I Thess. 5:24
May God reward your faithful mothering with an awareness of His nearness, His working, His goodness and His faithfulness above all else.
Love you so very much!
Aunt B
As mothers we are full of grief and mourning for the families who have lost loved ones and precious children in the Newtown tragedy. We have no words. We look and are appalled and lay our hands over our mouths (Job 21:5).
Yesterday, one of our pastors, Jeff Purswell, offered the following thoughts from Scripture. Listen to the audio or read the transcript below.
Two days ago, although it seems like a lot longer, our nation experienced an unspeakable tragedy, perhaps one of our greatest tragedies, certainly in my lifetime, in the shootings that took place at the elementary school in Newtown, CT. Over the past few days I’ve experienced what I’m sure we all have: a barrage of news and updates and images and interviews and condolences and speculations about what can only be described as a horrific tragedy. I’m sure we have all experienced, to different degrees, a range of emotions from grief and sadness and revulsion and mourning. And as we come in this morning as the church, as the people of God, beyond our own personal experiences, beyond what we would say here, this is also a national tragedy. As a nation we are mourning, as a nation we are grieving, as a nation we are grappling with these events. And it’s right, it is good for us to do that. It is right for us to share in national grief as people that God has placed in this country. That’s good, that’s right. But as Christians we are even more fundamentally, as Paul has reminded us in the letter we have been studying, we are citizens of heaven. We are those who have been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so as we absorb and process these events it is important that that citizenship inform the way that we process, inform the way that we interpret, inform the way that we respond. And so we as pastors want to take just a moment to think with you about that. How do we respond? How do we process? What perspective does Scripture give us in a moment like this? And it is critical to ask those questions, because we are and will continue to be immersed in a national conversation. We are and will continue to be barraged with an array of interpretations from media to mental health experts to politicians and to those that we interact with daily, neighbors and friends and coworkers.
Scripture first informs our response. Our first response, in a moment like this, is appropriately grief. We grieve. We grieve with those who grieve. That is not just a Christian response, that’s a human response. As we see a nation grieving, we are beholding the image of God in people. When we see people who wouldn’t be Christians showing compassion, that’s the image of God in them, marks of God’s image, and we share that. As Christians we don’t only share that, we have even more reason to grieve with others and to sympathize with others, as we demonstrate God’s heart to others. Being Christians doesn’t immunize us from grief, being Christians empowers us to grieve authentically, and to grieve truly with those who grieve, to grieve at the presence of evil and sin, to reflect true compassion to others, to reflect God’s own heart to others. So Scripture informs our response. We grieve.
Scripture also informs our interpretation. Everywhere, every news channel: “Why?” How do we interpret what just happened in our nation? It was evil. Pure and simple. It was evil. Christians don’t have to flinch from that. Christians don’t have to fudge on that. Christians don’t have to spiritualize that. This was unspeakably evil. It was horrifically sinful. This was a profound violation of God’s law and completely contrary to his heart. We know that. We say that. And Scripture helps us further. Although this was evil, and although it was shocking, it’s not surprising. The unregenerate human heart, in rebellion against God, is as Jeremiah reminds us in chapter 17, desperately sick. “Who can understand it?” the prophet says. It’s beyond comprehension. And it is marvelous mercy that God in his common grace—through conscience, through law, through providence—restrains our sin so that this kind of thing is not common. But the fallen human heart is capable of much evil. So we are not surprised. Over the next days and weeks experts on TV will speculate about causes and offer explanations, none of which are going to be fully satisfying, none of which will provide authentic answers. This was an evil act and people get that. Evil cries out for an answer. People everywhere are grappling for an answer. But the only true answer will not be found in analysis. The only true answer is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. That’s not a cliché. On that cross, in an act of unspeakable evil, the murder of the sinless Son of God—in that act, God defeated evil by taking sins of rebellion, our sins, upon himself, by absorbing God’s just wrath against heinous sins, against all that would defile God’s good creation. So scripture helps us interpret.
Finally, Scripture opens our eyes to the opportunity that this is. National crisis like this provide Christians an opportunity to do what we are called to do—to bear witness to the truth. Not in a glib way, not in a dispassionate way that is unaffected by grief, and certainly not in a self-righteous way. But as we grieve, as we mourn the loss of life, we don’t do so without hope. There is an answer to evil. And it is the cross of Christ, Christ who came to put away evil and to set all things right. To bring as the prophets say, the righteousness of God. To set all things right. A righteous God, only a righteous God, can render judgment for acts like we beheld this week. Only he can ensure justice. And not only can God bring justice, he can restore. He only can heal, he only can set right. And so because of the cross of Christ, all of us, who if we are honest, we know we fall short of righteousness, we have an offer of forgiveness from a righteous God who came to remove our unrighteousness. And we have a Savior who came not just to judge, not just to forgive, but to redeem, to set right. There is mercy and grace and healing for all who believe in Jesus. And as tragic as these killings were, Christ’s power is even greater than the tragedy, even greater than the evil, even greater than the anguish. Ultimately, that’s where our hope as Christians lies. We long for answers that will satisfy, but we long in vain. Because God doesn’t give us precise answers. But what he does do, just as he did to Job, he offers himself. He has revealed to us in Scripture, and preeminently in his Son, he has revealed to us his character. And so we don’t know why this happened, but we do know that he is here and that he is good and that he is wise and that the is powerful and he is at work in the most horrific circumstances. He’s at work to bring about his redeeming, restoring, saving purposes. So we are going to take a moment now to pray that God’s hand would be at work in these circumstances and those affected by them. So pray with me.
“Heavenly father, in our weakness, and in our helplessness, we come to you in your all-sufficiency and your grace. Lord, in the wake of this tragedy, our hearts are deeply grieved, even from a distance. Our sensibilities are overwhelmed, Lord our nation is mourning. And so Lord, we pray, we pray for your mercy. We pray for abundant mercy to be poured out, Lord, especially on the parents and the families of those children and those adults. Lord we can’t imagine. But you can. Lord we have no words and we have no power, but Lord you have the words of life and you have all power. Lord, your word says you are near to the brokenhearted, and so Lord draw near we pray to those whose hearts have been broken and whose lives have been shattered. For those who know you, draw near as their Shepherd who comforts and restores. Lord, for those who don’t know you, draw near to reveal your mercy and your grace. Lord, for pastors and Christians who are there, in CT and connected to this tragedy, give them great compassion and great wisdom and great power to minister your love and represent your heart to this community. Lord, it is like a great wound has been opened in the soul of our country. Lord, bind up that wound in the way that only you can. In the midst of the national conversation and the speculation and all the recrimination, bring into all of this your grace, open our hearts to your perspective, open our lives to your gospel. Have mercy on us as a country. Lord, we don’t know, I don’t know all the ways to pray, but we do pray that you would be at work and active in every circumstance, in every conversation, personal and national. Be at work Lord. Father we can only pray that your gospel would be on the move. That hearts would be opened to your reality, eyes would be opened to your holiness, lives will be opened to your grace, to your gospel. Cause people to turn to you as the only answer to our questions, Lord, the only remedy to a tragedy like this. Let your gospel of grace rule and reign in circumstances, in hearts, in that community, and in our nation. Lord, you are the sovereign God, great and mighty and wise to use the greatest evil for your own sovereign and good and redeeming purposes. That’s who you are, Lord. So do that in these circumstances, for the good of all of those so deeply affected, for the good of our nation, for the spread of your gospel, and ultimately for the glory of your name. We pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.”
Jude and Sophie have been legally our children since that happy day in Addis over a year ago now, when the Ethiopian judge declared “They are yours.” Today we visited a court in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to finalize the stateside process.
“I’ve got three grown boys of my own,” the judge informed me. “Do you realize that motherhood isn’t just until they turn eighteen but for life?” she asked. “Yes.” I answered. “And do you want to be the mother of these two children for life?” she asked:
Huge smile. “Yes!”
